Photography, travel, fitness, and nutrition enthusiast. A blog documenting all the things that motivate and inspire me to become the best version of myself.

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When I think back to backpacking across Europe last summer, one thing that always comes to mind was how unprepared I was for the London weather. I mean, I’ve heard people talk about the constant rain and cloudy skies, but I guess I refused to believe that London was anything less than a perfect city filled with wizardry & witchcraft, high fashion, and sexy British men with compelling accents and intense quiffs.

Travelling to London was very special for me. It was the first stop on our backpacking adventure and my first time ever being in Europe, so I was a little overwhelmed with excitement to say the least. Like I said, I was not prepared for the weather at all. I was expecting light showers for a portion of the day, but it was more like drizzling for half the day, heavy rain for a few hours, and a peak of clear skies for 3 seconds. But despite the rain, this beautiful city filled with art, impeccable architecture and rich history, was absolutely magical.

The five days I spent in London consisted of endless hours of walking, tube-riding, tourist photo-taking, museum visiting, and architecture appreciating. We tried our best to cover all the major attractions/landmarks, but we only scratched the surface within our stay. There’s just so much to see, it was impossible to get to everything! But that’s what I loved about this city- every corner you turned, you’d discover something magnificent. There was always an awesome bridge, a rad local market, a classic red telephone booth (which might not excite some, but I still love them!), or a strikingly beautiful building within my view and I can still remember that exhilarating thrill I had taking it all in.

My favourite museum was definitely the British Museum (Photo above!). Not only was the historical content rich and beautifully displayed, but walking through the doors and seeing the grand Round Reading Room attached to the unique and stunning glass roof was breathtaking. Everything about this museum was grand and elegant and I couldn’t help but stand there for a good 15 minutes admiring the construction of it all. We ended up spending about 2-3 hours roaming through the rooms since we were short on time, but I would love to go back one day and just spend days here. I just love museums- so much learning within these walls, it’s ridiculous!

St. Paul’s Cathedral was such a beautiful sanctuary. It’s probably the second grandest Church we visited on our entire trip, after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Take a look at the dome of the church in the photo above; all of the art was painted to look 3-dimensional! If the audio guide didn’t tell me so, I would’ve thought those were sculptures on the dome, not a painting! All of the illustrations on the arches and pillars told stories of saints and angels and their spiritual encounters, which all came together so harmoniously. The top of the dome also had a great panoramic view of the city (photos below!), so if you’re ever in London, I highly recommend visiting St. Paul’s. Also, it’s where Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married- wouldn’t you want to step foot into the place where there was a royal wedding?!

(View atop St. Paul’s Cathedral)

Look! It’s the bridge the death eaters destroyed in the Half Blood Prince! Except, it’s still fully intact and very pretty, haha. The Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that crosses River Thames. I really love how its modern and innovative design contrasts the classic architecture of St. Paul’s Cathedral behind it. The mix between contemporary and classic architecture throughout this city is a perfect balance. Seriously, writing this makes me want to go back to London right now!

(No tourist trip to London is complete without a photo of Big Ben! I was lucky enough to snap a shot of this beauty in clear skies!)

I have no idea what compelled me to write about this adventure that happened last summer, but there’s so much more that I want share with you about London! Though if I wanted to say it all, I’d be coming close to writing a novel. So let’s just end this off by saying I seriously recommend you taking a trip to London. The copious amounts of history and art to take in is incredibly remarkable and an experience you cannot mimic anywhere else. I hope to be back some day soon! And next time, I’ll definitely remember to bring my Hunter boots and a sturdy umbrella.